Silent auctions are a common tool used to raise funds for schools, nonprofit organizations, and charitable events. During a silent auction, guests bid on items and experiences that have been donated specifically to raise money for the event or organization. This is done “silently” by writing your bid for an item on a piece of paper. Some silent auctions even allow you to bid directly from your phone. Then, at the end of the night, the highest bidder receives the item and all the bid money goes directly to the event or charity.
While all donations are generous and helpful to raise money for the organization you are donating them to, there are certain donations that attract more bidders and raise larger amounts of money. Here are the best silent auction donation ideas that you can give to provide the most support for your favorite organizations:
- Sports - Sports-related donations are consistently one of the silent auction items that bring in the highest bids. This includes things like tickets to sporting events, especially if they are season tickets, for a premier location (like a box, the sideline, etc.), or if they are for special games like the Super Bowl. It also includes sports lessons, like golf or tennis lessons with a professional instructor. Other high-value sports items include sports memorabilia, which will draw even higher bids if the memorabilia is signed.
- Travel - Donations that include travel-related items are also incredibly popular at silent auctions. This includes things like all-inclusive stays at resorts, couples vacations, family trips, weekend getaways, and even airline tickets or transferable miles.
- Music - Music-related donations are another hot item at silent auctions. Some of the best items you can donate include tickets to concerts, personal music lessons, and music memorabilia, which, like sports memorabilia, is even more valuable if it is autographed.
- Outings and Experiences - Donations that include outings and experiences also bring in a lot of bids as people like things they can share with others. Some popular options include food and drink experiences, like a group dinner at an upscale restaurant, a local brewery tour, a private wine tasting at a vineyard, or even cooking classes. Other popular experiences include things like tickets to live TV tapings, spa days, tickets to a theme park, vouchers for outdoor activities, and many others.
At Healthy Harvest Food Bank, we operate as a local farm-to-food bank to help solve hunger in Virginia. We provide hope in the communities we serve through the right food and education as part of our core programs. This includes fresh and local produce from farms in the area. Our annual Diamonds and Denim Gala Auction is an essential part of our organization’s capacity to fulfill our mission. Stay tuned for when tickets go on sale, sign up to become a sponsor, donate food for the Gala, or consider making a donation to our auctions!